Many were surprised when Republican Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette jumped into the Detroit bankruptcy debate on behalf of city retirees, who could lose pension benefits during the city's pending court proceedings.

"Retirees may face a potential financial crisis not of their own making, possibly a result of pension fund mismanagement," Schuette said in his late July announcement, though he also cited a legal argument that Michigan's constitution prevents public pension obligations from being "diminished or impaired."

But it might be helpful to note that Schuette is a public employee, too -- albeit an elected one -- and the fate of retirees in the Detroit bankruptcy filing could have repercussions for any retiree drawing a public pension.

The state of Michigan has taken its own steps to curb its liabilities for pensions and retiree health care for more than a decade. Beginning in 1997, elected lawmakers and other state employees were required to join defined contribution plans rather than traditional defined benefit pension plans.

As the debate over unfunded public pension liabilities continues in many local governments across Michigan, however, it's unlikely that retirees from the city of Detroit -- or in the private sector -- receive or will ever draw pensions as generous as those of Schuette and other former Michigan lawmakers, who had their own pension plan when they were in the Legislature.

Schuette's eight years in the Michigan Senate nets him $3,269.79 a month -- or $39,237.48 a year, according to a Freedom of Information request filed with the Michigan Legislative Retirement System. That's on top of his $112,410 salary as Michigan's attorney general.

Legislators, judges and state police officers each have their own retirement systems outside of the civil service retirement system or public school retirement systems.

Schuette, who will be 60 in October, has served three two-year terms in Congress, three years as director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, two four-year terms in the Michigan Senate, and six years as a judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals before his election as attorney general in 2010.

Schuette is among 282 Michigan lawmakers, or their survivors, who are drawing monthly pensions, some while they remain public figures or continue to hold other paid public office. A few of them have pensions that exceed their salaries when they were in the Michigan Legislature.

Besides Schuette, other recognizable names receiving legislative pensions from Michigan include U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and former Gov. John Engler.

Schuette is by no means the heavy hitter on the pension list from the Michigan Legislature, at least in a relative sense.

Engler spent 20 years in the Michigan Legislature, earning him a monthly pension of $8,468.02, or $101,616.24 a year. That doesn't include any pension benefits Engler receives for the 12 years he spent as Michigan's governor.

Stabenow gets $5,362.41 a month, or $64,348.92 a year, for the 16 years she spent in the Michigan Legislature. That's on top of her U.S. Senate salary of $174,000. She was elected to a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate last November.

But even Engler and Stabenow don't top the list of the highest-paid Michigan legislative pensioners.

That honor goes to former state Sen. Art Miller, a Warren Democrat who gets $10,100.14 a month, or $121,201.68 a year, for his 25 years, 7 months and 17 days in the Michigan Legislature.

Currently, Michigan lawmakers in Lansing are paid $71,685 plus an expense allowance of $10,800. They get extra pay if they hold leadership positions in the Michigan House or Senate, according to the State Officers Compensation Committee.

The SOCC sets pay every two years for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, members of the Legislature, and Michigan Supreme Court justices.

Since 2002, the SOCC recommendations take effect if approved by the House and Senate.

But the SOCC has also recommended hefty increases. Lawmakers in 2000 were paid $56,981, but that pay jumped to $77,400 in 2001, based on an SOCC recommendation. At that time, pay changes took effect unless the Legislature voted to disapprove them.

Current lawmakers are no longer under the pension plan of their predecessors Schuette, Engler, Stabenow and Miller.

Public Act 486 of 1996 required lawmakers elected after March 30,1997 -- and all state employees -- to join a 401k-style defined contribution plan, in effect closing the generous defined benefit plan enjoyed by Schuette, Engler, Stabenow, Miller and others who were elected to office before then.

At the time, sitting lawmakers could remain in the defined benefit plan, switch to the defined contribution plan, or keep the defined benefit amounts with future contributions going to the defined contribution plan that's not administered by the Michigan Legislative Retirement System.

A typical defined benefit pension uses a formula that multiplies final average compensation by years of service by a pension multiplier.

Michigan lawmakers had their own retirement system separate from other state employees, and with a different formula for determining their monthly pensions when they left.

So just how generous was the formula in the old legislative defined benefit plan?

"For those legislators who first became members on or before January 1, 1995, the retirement benefit is calculated by multiplying 20 percent of the highest salary earned for the first 5 years of service, plus 4 percent of the highest salary for each of the next 11 years of service, plus 1 percent of the highest salary for each additional year.

"For those legislators who first became members after January 1, 1995, the retirement benefit is calculated by multiplying 3 percent of the highest salary for each year of service."

Lawmakers elected after the switch in 1997 receive the same defined contribution plan as any other state employee.

Michigan, through its taxpayers, now matches 4 percent of a lawmaker's pay. A legislator has the option to put in up to an additional 3 percent, which the state will also match.

Besides generous pensions benefits, lawmakers historically have qualified for lifetime health benefits if they were in office for six years or more.

But that changed in 2010 when the legislature ended that benefit for lawmakers elected after Nov. 1, 2010.

For Schuette, defending Detroit retirees during the city's bankruptcy is a constitutional obligation.

"Article 9, Section 24 in our state constitution says that pensions may not be impaired or diminished," he says. "It's my job to stand up for the constitution. If I did not do that, then I would be selectively enforcing it."

Schuette shrugs off questions about his own legislative pension.

"This is about cops and firefighters," he says.

Here's a look at former lawmakers drawing legislative pensions while holding other public office, and a list of former Oakland County lawmakers and their monthly legislative pensions:

o Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard -- Bouchard receives $3,118.65 a month from his eight years and 11 days in the Legislature. He is paid $138,999 annually as county sheriff.

o Oakland County Commissioner Tom Middleton from Clarkston -- Middleton receives $2,554.54 a month from his eight years in the Legislature. He is paid $32,093 annually as a county commissioner.

o Oakland County Commissioner Nancy Quarles from Southfield -- Quarles receives $1,540.74 a month for her six years in the Legislature. She is paid $32,093 annually as a county commissioner.

o Oak Park District Judge David N. Gubow -- Gubow receives $4,470.46 a month from his 14 years in the Legislature. He is paid $138,272 annually as a district judge.

o Oakland Circuit Judge Rudy Nichols -- Nichols receives $3,118.65 a month from his eight years in the Legislature. He is paid $139,919 annually as a circuit judge.

o Thomas Guastello, of the Oakland County Arts Institute Authority -- Guastello receives $4,515.05 a month from his 14 years in the Legislature. He receives no pay from service on the arts authority.

Other former living lawmakers from Oakland County, their time in the Legislature and their monthly pensions are:

o Maxine Berman, 14 years, $4,602.25

o Donald Bishop, 16 years, $5,160

o Nancy Cassis, 14 years 1 month 19 days, $3,152.48

o Barbara Dobb, 8 years, $2,554.56

o A. Janette Dolan, 8 years, $2,629.83

o Mat Dunaskiss, 22 years, $7,152.68

o Jack Faxon, 30 years, $6,535.38

o Richard Fessler, 16 years, $5,974.43

o Patricia Godchaux, 6 years, $1,720.44

o David Honigman, 11 years 2 months 15 days, $3,801.37

o John Jamian, 5 years 3 months 28 days, $1,751.07

o Shirley Johnson, 25 years 9 months 9 days, $6,896.90

o Kerry Kammer, 8 years, $2,580.06

o Hubert Price, 6 years 8 months 3 days, $2,110.98

o Claude Trim, 16 years 1 month 18 days, $5,534.93

Contact Charles Crumm at 248-745-4649, charlie.crumm@oakpress.com or follow him on Twitter @crummc and on Facebook. More information is at oaklandmichiganpolitics.blogspot.com. Keep up with the latest in local news by texting OPNews to 22700.Msg & Data Rates May Apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.